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Lion

An ad for the movie was taken out in the Los Angeles Times that denounced (gag) Pres. Trump’s travel and visitation ban, making it clear that the production of the movie might not have taken place had the order been in place then. It’s a decent political statement that also doubles as Oscar-timed promotion and reminder for people to see it if they haven’t already.

A Cure For Wellness

Fox has apologized for the fake news sites it created to promote the movie, blaming faulty internal checks and balances for this one slipping through the approvals process. That’s a good move and certainly necessary. I want to believe it’s sincere but have seen too many instances of companies intentionally throwing grenades in order to get headlines, then apologizing after the buzz has already doubled or tripled because of a stunt. I’ll give Fox the benefit of the doubt here, but any marketer worth his or her salt should know that unless it’s clearly labeled as such, “fake” anything is a tactic likely only to get you into trouble and do serious reputational damage.